


Old Friends, New Memories

by HyperMint



Series: Blond Support Group [3]
Category: Magnificent Seven (TV), due South
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-22
Updated: 2011-11-22
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/281875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperMint/pseuds/HyperMint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conference in Denver has Ray Kowalski running into his old friend Vin Tanner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> Team Seven's secretary, AJ, is my own character and I have this whole story in mind about her and how she came to be with the Seven. It's the establishing story to this other group of stories, but I have to finish one at a time. I'm also thinking of a slash version of the same universe, being C/V fan that I am. We'll see what the muses come up with.

*** Ch. One: Day One

 

Ray really hated coming to conferences by himself. At least with Fraser around, he could find some entertainment.

 

Sighing, he slumped into the booth of an amazingly awesome little place in Denver that locals jokingly called 'the Saloon'.

 

"Would you like anything else, Senor?" the pretty owner asked, knocking him out of his thoughts.

 

"Uh, yeah. This dessert looks good," he pointed to an ice cream dessert on the menu.

 

"It is one of our best," she smiled warmly, her brown eyes lighting up.

 

"Done," he watched as she moved to another booth. It really was a nice place. 'I wonder what Turnbull would think of it,' he smiled as he spared a thought to his unofficial partner's fellow Mountie, the utterly crazy but likable Renfield Turnbull. He would probably like the place.

 

His partner, Constable Benton Fraser, was probably in the process of wrapping up at that conference in Ottowa and getting ready to do that guest speaking thing at a different Mountie convention. Fraser and Ray would get back to Chicago within days of each other. Ray was doing a countdown that had started the minute he walked off the plane late last night. 'Stupid conference.'

 

"I'm tellin' ya, kid," a voice broke through his musings and he looked up to see a mustached man grab a younger man by the back of the neck. "She won't be able to resist me for much longer."

 

"In your dreams, Buck!" the younger argued, twisting away.

 

"Maybe JD's right, Buck," a tall black man agreed, clearly guiding a brunette with her nose stuck in her magazine. "It's been, what? Years now?"

 

"Just you wait," the one called Buck huffed. "This time next year, she'll be goin' out with me. See if she doesn't."

 

"Well, AJ?" JD turned to the girl being led to the chair next to his. "What's your prediction?"

 

"I'm not psychic," she glanced at him. "But, if you insist." She obediently closed her eyes for a second, her three companions watching with interest. Ray watched, too. A few minutes later, she frowned.

 

"Guess you better work harder," JD laughed as Buck pouted.

 

"C'mon, Darlin'. Try again?" he cajoled.

 

"Can't," she lifted a shoulder in a 'what can you do' manner. "I gotta eat sometime today, you know."

 

"Right you are, Sister," Ray watched as another man joined them. "Speaking of predictions, I don't suppose you know where the others are?"

 

"I think Chris is finishing up some things for the bust this week," JD mused as AJ took her seat, smoothing her denim knee-length skirt down. Ray knew from that conversation that he was dealing with either fellow cops or a team of Government agents.

 

"Ezra was finishing his report on his meeting with Cruces," Nathan told them. "He'll be along."

 

"Vin's around here somewhere," AJ looked around, catching Ray watching them. He waved with what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face. The bar owner suddenly showed up with his dessert. By the time she had gone, a well-dressed redhead had joined the group.

 

"There y'are, Ez," Buck greeted.

 

"Pray tell, Mr. Wilmington," the Southern accent was pleasing to the ear. "Where else would my person be located for the afternoon repast?"

 

"Uh, home?" AJ suggested.

 

"That's an idea," JD sighed longingly. "I hate this case."

 

"Nothing to be done, JD," Nathan patted him on the shoulder. Soon, a black-clad blond swept over to them and Ray suddenly remembered his neglected ice cream.

 

He was finishing his ice cream and sighed as he took note of the time. 'Guess I should head back.'

 

Waving down a different waitress, he got his check and let her pay it with his card. He was just gathering his things together when he heard a familiar Texan accent drift his way.

 

****

 

"Sorry, fellas," Vin Tanner huffed as he plopped down in the seat across from AJ. "People 'round here can't drive."

 

"Includin' yourself," Buck shook his head.

 

"How's the jeep?" AJ asked, setting her magazine away for a bit. "Running okay?"

 

"Yeah, fine," he waved her away. "Any other car problems we need to talk 'bout?" A chorus of negatives made him smile slightly. It really was good to have them all together outside of the office. Their upcoming bust was coming along nicely and Vin had no doubt that it would be a pretty sweet end.

 

Inez came around and took orders before flitting away again in favor of other customers. AJ kept looking over her shoulder and it didn't go unnoticed as Ezra pulled out his trusty deck of cards. "Is something amiss, Ms. Johnson?"

 

"Huh? No, it's just..." She bit her lip as she turned back to the table, seeing all eyes on her. Oh, she knew that she had their attention, but they were scanning their surroundings to try to flush out whatever had caught her attention. "There was someone earlier and he was listening to us talk."

 

"Very good, AJ," Nathan grinned. "Yeah, I saw him, too."

 

"Spiky blond hair?" Buck questioned. "Skinny, sitting almost directly behind Josiah?"

 

"He's not there anymore," she told them. "I don't know where he went."

 

"He related to our case?" Chris frowned, also scanning the room.

 

"Don't think so," Nathan shook his head.

 

"How could anyone not hear us with Buck's big mouth over here," JD rolled his eyes.

 

"I do not have a big mouth," Buck protested.

 

"Say what you want..."

 

"I don't!"

 

After awhile, they concluded that AJ's mystery guy had left and got down to some serious eating business.

 

"Oh, I almost forgot," AJ paused. "Buck, Chris, Judge Travis wanted me to ask you guys if you wanted to go over to that Police Conference to talk to them."

 

"Sure, Darlin'," Buck raised a hand. "Any time in particular?"

 

"No, just this week," she easily sent a message via PDA to the Judge's secretary, Gloria. From there, the information would work its way back.

 

"I remember them," Buck sighed. "How 'bout you, Hoss? Want to give these guys some excitement?"

 

"Why not?" Chris nodded. "I'm in."

 

"Is that any different from the conferences we have to go through?" JD questioned.

 

"Not really," AJ told them absently. "All conferences are the same: Agent, Cop, or Medical. I remember a lot of times where I had to record the entire lecture because I was put to sleep." The former Doctor had a point. They were all designed to bore their audiences to tears and put them to sleep under the guise of trading information.

 

"Somehow, that surprises me," Josiah put in. "You're one of the responsible ones. Always pert and perky."

 

"Sometimes, it doesn't matter," AJ shook her head. "They're boring and will always be boring."

 

"Ya know, I keep telling my partner that, but he won't believe me," AJ was taken aback at Vin's reaction to the interloping Chicago accent. The man positively lit up as he spied the lanky blond that had caught their attention earlier.

 

"Ray Kowalski," Vin immediately rounded the table to where his old friend was lurking next to AJ and pulled him into a tight hug. "Good to see you, Pard."

 

"Good to see _you_ ," Ray pulled back to study him. "Still eatin' like the world's gonna end?"

 

"Somethin' like that." They drank in the sight of each other. "Man, you look good."

 

"Oh, don't mind us. We like not knowing what's going on."

 

"Sorry, Darlin'. AJ, boys," Vin wrapped an arm around Ray. "This here's my old friend, Ray Kowalski. Ran into him a couple times back when I's bounty huntin'."

 

"You mean 'ran him over'," Ray chuckled.

 

"Ain't my fault you so skinny."

 

"Pot, kettle, black."

 

"Mr. Kowalski," Ezra rose to greet him. "Ezra Standish, at your service."

 

"Could you drop the mister? If ya gotta call me a title, may as well call me 'detective'."

 

"Still workin' in Chicago?" Vin leaned against the table as the others crowded them, interested in their friend's connection to his past.

 

"Yup, 2-7. It's crazy, but I love it, y'know?"

 

"We're Team Seven," AJ grinned at the irony. "Okay, I'm the secretary, but still."

 

"I better get moving," Ray sighed as he found the time. "Welsh is probably going to quiz me about the entire thing when I get back."

 

"Hey, are you free tonight?" Vin smiled widely.

 

"Nah," Ray waved a hand. "Jet lag or somethin' is bound to hit tonight."

 

"How long you here for?" Buck wanted to know.

 

"Until the conference ends," he rolled his eyes. "Hey, Vin, what's your - " he drew back to see a blank business card with Vin's contact information in his face.

 

"One of the things I love about havin' a secretary is that they know how to get things done," Buck smiled warmly. "One of the things I love about havin' AJ be our secretary is that she can pick up on  most anythin' and have a solution, more often than not."

 

"See you later, say around tomorrow? I'll call you and we'll get those drinks."

 

"Sounds good to me," Ray tucked the business card into his coat pocket, then waved and left in a swirl of rain and wind.

 

"Vin?"

 

He turned back to the others.

 

"You know him?"

 

"Ray's a good man, Chris," he nodded to answer the unasked questions. "Proud to call him a friend."

 

"And heaven knows," Josiah rumbled. "I don't have many friends I could afford to lose one."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray visits the office and Fraser finally makes an appearance in the form of a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to put this in:
> 
> Disclaimer: Due South and Mag7 are not my creations, but AJ is.

Ray tapped the side of his leg as he waited for the elevator to take him to the Team Seven offices.

The ATF building was big and very classy, with all manners of people in the halls and corridors.

He hoped it was okay that he showed up unannounced, but he really didn't know anyone else in Denver and didn't know the city at all. He had gotten directions to the building from Inez over at the Saloon, who warmed to him when he told her that he wasn't sure where his friend worked.

'ATF, huh? Good for him,' Ray was very happy that his younger friend had found a... well, 'safer' might not be the best word, but it was a good sight better than being alone... better job with teammates that obviously had his back. The elevator doors opened and let him into the hall leading to his location. There were some vending machines in front of the elevator doors and he rounded the corner to find AJ at her desk. "Er, hi, Ms. AJ," he waved lamely.

"Detective Kowalski," she looked up with a smile. "What can I help you with?"

"Was kinda hoping I could hang out for awhile before I had to go back to my next lecture, if that's okay."

"Sure," she stood, wearing a pencil skirt today, and waved him over to the double doors. "Everyone's here and I need a break anyway," she told him. "The papers are all starting to blur."

"Secretary life sure is dangerous, huh?" he smiled shyly.

"No more dangerous than being a doctor, anyway."

"That what you used to be?" Ray questioned.

"Another life," she said lightly, though Ray could see it was a sore subject so he didn't push. She opened the doors and ducked just in time to avoid being hit with a soft Nerf toy. "Nice shot, Josiah."

"I thought so," he smiled sheepishly as he stood in front of them. "Detective, welcome to the ATF."

"Hey, Pard," Vin dove in for a tight squeeze, jokingly herding AJ into the middle for an AJ sandwich. "Good to see ya, too, AJ. Bin in town long?"

"Long enough," she commented, chasing down the toy and returning it to JD, the rightful owner. Vin herded the older man after her as she headed to the break room. All the others had decided that their own breaks were in order as they followed.

"Ya know AJ," Vin spied the other half of the team. "And Ez. There's Nathan Jackson and our boss, Chris Larabee."

"Hi there," Nathan reached over and shook his hand.

"I'm Buck Wilmington, and this here's JD Dunne and Josiah Sanchez."

"Nice to meet all of you," Ray straddled a chair backwards as he surveyed the room. Vending machines, microwave, a fridge, sink, couch and armchair... "Are beanbags regulation?" he nodded at the bag which matched the teal color of AJ's belt.

"Well, they are in this office," Buck told him as AJ sat on the bag. She was the obvious owner.

"Wish I had one," he said. Idly, he wondered if Fraser would like one with the Canada flag design on it. That led to him picturing his best friend sitting on one and he had to chuckle.

"What?" AJ stretched out.

"Just thinkin' of my partner trying to sit in one."

"You got a partner?" Vin leaned against the sink next to Chris. "Any good?"

"Ah, well," Ray lifted a shoulder. "Couldn't ask for a better partner, really. Even if he does drag me all over the state, trying to catch any rule breakers in the area."

"Stickler for rules?"

"Who, Fraser? Oh, no," he laughed. "Well, anyone breaking the law or something. He's a good guy. A little out there, but he's probably the best friend I ever had."

***

This wasn't working.

Constable Benton Fraser sat back in his chair at the hotel that they'd all been required to check into. He was more tense than usual and none of his regular remedies were working.

His suspicions regarding one of those remedies needed to be addressed and there was no time like the present.

As he dutifully followed the directions that he'd received yesterday, Fraser put the number in and waited for an answer. While waiting, he mused on his partner and best friend. The mercurial blond was the best - human - friend that he ever had. Much different than his first best friend, Ray Vecchio.

A voice on the phone informed him that he'd contacted the Denver branch of ATF and wanted to know what his business was.

"Er, yes. Hello, I'm attempting to contact an Agent Tanner?"

* "Yes, sir. Let me re-direct your call."

He waited a few more minutes until another, younger, and breathless female answered.

* "Hi, you reached the offices of Team Seven. I'm AJ, their secretary. Can I help you?"

"No, if this is a bad time," he said, politely. "I can call back."

* "Oh, no, no problem. I mean, it's not a bad time. See, I was just finishing my break and one of the agents from another team said that my phone was ringing, so I rushed out. Oh, blast. My sandwich..."

"I beg your pardon?" he blinked, scenarios flitting through his mind. 'Sandwich' could mean just what it sounded like. On the other hand -

* "I rushed out so fast, I left my sandwich sitting there. Oh, I hope Buck doesn't eat it again. I really liked that bologna... Oh, who did you want to speak to and for what reason?"

"If it's no trouble, I was hoping to speak to Agent Tanner," Fraser rubbed his bottom lip. "This is concerning a friend of mine?"

* "Blond hair, around five foot 9 or so, Chicago accent, looks like he's about to start dancing all the time?"

"I, well, yes," he frowned. "If you don't mind me asking -"

* "Oh, yeah, Ray told me that he had a partner in Canada. Didn't expect his partner to be a Mountie," she mused.

"I see..."

* "Not that there's anything wrong with being a Mountie," she backtracked. "One of my friends was Canadian. I mean, before she died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, sincerely. He knew what it was like to lose someone close.

* "It's alright," it clearly wasn't. "Oh, you wanted to speak to Ray? Here he is, now."

Fraser patiently waited for his friend, hearing muffled voices.

* "Hey, Frase," that familiar voice trickled into his ear. His suspicions were right, he really did feel more relaxed when his friend would talk to him. That sort of started the tradition of calling Ray and getting his opinion on certain things. It didn't always mean he listened to the words, just hearing that voice helped.

"Good afternoon, Ray," he felt his body start releasing that locked tension. "How is your day going?"

* "Not bad. Hey, remember that guy I told you about, Vin? Yeah, I'm in the office his team has and..."

Fraser let his friend talk, savoring his lukewarm tea and making the appropriate noises to keep him going. He idly wondered what it was about his friend that made him so relaxing. "Of course, Ray."

* "Really? Great! Here, AJ. Hold this while I find him."

'Oh, dear.' Sometimes, he really did need to pay attention.

* "Constable Fraser?" AJ was back. "It was really nice of you to agree to talk to Vin for him. He really lit up."

He could imagine. His friend's eyes would light up and he would be bouncing around. "It's no problem at all," he was just grateful that was all that he'd agreed to.

A few minutes later, Ray was back with his friend.

* "Hi, Fraser," the Texan was clearly unsure about what to do in this situation. Fraser could relate.

"Agent Tanner," he began.

* "Vin'll be fine, seeing as you're Ray's friend and all," he shyly offered.

"Well, thank you kindly, Vin," he warmly accepted. "I shall keep that in mind. I understand you and Ray had dealings in the past?"

* "Iffen you mean do we know each other, yeah. Ray is a good friend."

"He is."

* "I hear you're a good friend, too."

"I like to think I am," he nodded.

* "I think you are, too. Ray's bin tellin' us about you and some of those cases you two have. Is Ray a good friend to you, like you are to him?"

It was curiousity and Fraser smiled slightly. "I sincerely doubt that I would ever find another quite like Ray."

* "Maybe we could meet up some time?"

"I believe that can work," he, too, wanted to meet Agent - Vin. He sounded like a fine man to be friends with, as well. Ray was always telling him that he needed more human friends. Maybe Vin would be amenable to filling one of those slots.

Some noise indicated something going on at the other end of the line and Fraser could pick out some other voices, as well.

* "Hey, Fraser," Vin was back. "I really enjoyed talkin' to ya."

"And I you," he nodded.

* "I need ta go. Ya want to talk to Ray again? I think AJ wants her desk back."

"Of course, if Ray is still there."

* "Fraser, hey," Ray was back on the line. "Listen, I need to head back to the conference. How 'bout I call you later tonight? Vin and the others said that they might want to go out for drinks later."

"Be careful, Ray," he advised.

* "Hey, you know me. I'll be real careful."

"I know," it was almost time for him to go, too.

* "Hey, what do you think of Vin?"

"I think I would like to meet him," Fraser decided. "His friends seem like nice people."

* "They really are. Yeah, I think you and him would get along alright. He's a good guy."

"The doubt never crossed my mind."

* "Oh, yeah? How come?"

"You are friends with him."

Fraser smiled at the silence. It was always good to show Ray that he was a good judge of character, as Fraser had yet to meet a person that hadn't gone through Ray first.

"Ray? Are you still there?"

* "Uh, sure, buddy. I'll call you later, alright?"

He could imagine the shyly happy little boy smile on his best friend's face as he came to terms with that unexpected show of trust. "I'll be waiting by the phone."

* "Okay. Hey, AJ? Could you make a note and remind me to call Fraser back before it gets too late? Thanks."

"Goodbye, Ray."

Replacing the phone back in the cradle, he sat back and finished his tea. It was a marvel to have friends that accepted you for who you are. Ray was a treasure and, Fraser hoped, his new friends were too.


End file.
